SPN/J2 BB: Family of Choice 5/6
~*~
Part Five
~*~
Castiel slipped out of Dean's bed and quietly made his way to the kitchen. They'd been together for a month, and Castiel still spent most of his time with the Winchesters. He just felt so much better with them, so much more alive and cared for. He stretched his wings out, glad that he could. Lucifer didn't like it when Castiel showed his wings at home, whereas Dean loved being able to see and feel the soft feathers.
Looking around the kitchen, Castiel found the things he'd need and started making lunches for everyone. He was a naturally early riser, whereas Dean preferred to sleep in, and it made him feel good to be able to contribute something to the boys who gave so much to him.
“Morning Cas,” Sam said sleepily as he came in as well, looking for breakfast.
“Good morning,” Castiel nodded back. “What would you like for lunch today?”
“Peanut butter and jelly?” Sam looked up, and Castiel reached for the jars. “Thanks Cas!”
“You're welcome.” The pair continued in silence, Sam getting breakfast while Castiel finished making and packing lunches.
“Your feathers are kinda messy,” Sam spoke then. Castiel glanced behind himself to check, and saw that several feathers were indeed out of place. “How do you fix them?”
“It can be difficult,” Castiel admitted. “It is a matter of physically realigning them.”
“Can I help?”
“Certainly.” Castiel looked around, then nodded. “It would be best if you sat on the table.”
“Okay,” Sam climbed up. Castiel moved towards him and sat backwards on a chair, facing away from the boy. His wings spread up and out, and Sam was able to reach all of the misaligned feathers.
“This is so cool,” Sam whispered. Castiel smiled over his shoulder indulgently.
“I am glad you think so. I am happy to be here with you and Dean. You are both very good to me.”
“Good to hear,” a deep voice came from the doorway, and both glanced over at where Dean was leaning on the door jamb. “Wouldn't wanna be accused of mistreating my boy.”
“I thought I was your boy?” Sam sounded rather petulant. Dean quickly threw him his 'I'm an awesome big brother' smile.
“You're my baby boy,” Dean reassured his little brother. “Always will be. Cas is my boy.” Castiel wasn't entirely sure of the difference, but Sam seemed placated.
“You treat me very well,” Castiel smiled shyly. He heard a slight growl from Dean, and knew that he was getting turned on. Something that was confirmed when Dean crossed the room in two strides and bent down to kiss him. Both ignored Sam's protests of kissing being 'gross'.
“You're awesome,” Dean pulled back, looking Castiel in the eye. Cas felt himself blush, still unused to receiving compliments, but leaned up to brush his lips against Dean's anyway.
He never wanted to leave this family.
~*~
Castiel kept his gaze lowered as he headed towards home. He knew that Dean was spending the afternoon doing yard work for one of the elderly women who seemed to adore him, and Sam was on a school camping trip, so he had to go back to his father. To be honest, Cas wasn't even sure if his family noticed that he was spending so much time away from the house.
“Leave me alone!”
Pausing, Castiel looked up. He recognised his sister's voice, and she sounded almost scared. When his gaze landed on Ruby, he saw that she was facing off against three of the boys in Castiel's class who liked to pick on him.
“C'mon,” one of them - Daryl - spoke as he leered at Ruby. “Your brother's a complete slut, show us how much you'd like it too.”
“I'm sure it runs in the family,” Jeff said.
Castiel was used to the things people said about him, but he'd never considered that someone might taunt Ruby about it too. While the pair had never exactly gotten along, he wasn't about to let his little sister get bullied.
“Back off,” Castiel growled as he quickly walked over. “You have a problem with me, fine. Leave her out of it.”
“Make them stop,” Ruby pleaded softly as she backed up past Castiel, hiding behind him almost.
“Stupid fag,” Daryl sneered. Castiel just rolled his eyes.
“You've called me that every day for the last two years,” he pointed out. “It's rather lost its potency by now. Can't you think up a better insult? After all, you're not using your brains for anything else.”
“How dare you?” Daryl glared.
“My sister is not fair game,” Castiel spoke firmly over him, fed up with the bullshit. “If you want to fight me just say so, but if you touch Ruby I will make you regret it.”
After a few tense seconds, the boys turned and walked away, grumbling between them. Castiel let out a brief sigh of relief, then turned to Ruby.
“It would be best if you avoided them when possible,” he commented to her. “Teenage boys tend to have more testosterone than brains, and they may hurt you.”
Ruby was staring up at him. Tilting his head a little, Castiel stared back. He wasn't sure what Ruby was thinking, never had been, but he was good at waiting people out.
“You stuck up for me,” Ruby said after a while, sounding confused.
“Yes. You are my sister.”
“But I'm mean to you.”
“I am aware of that.”
“So why were you nice?”
“Because you are my sister,” Castiel frowned. “You have been taught to hate me by our father and uncles, but you are still young. You can improve.”
“Oh.”
Castiel indicated with his head, and the siblings started walking back home, this time together. When they were almost there, Ruby spoke up again.
“I don't hate you,” she slipped her hand into Castiel's. “I just... never thought about it.”
“I know,” Cas nodded.
“I'm not sure if I can change.”
“You can try,” Castiel shrugged. “Or not. You are still my little sister. I will always forgive you.”
They arrived home, and they both headed to their rooms - Ruby on the first floor, her spacious room overlooking the garden, while Castiel was up in the attic. He didn't notice the thoughtful look on Ruby's face as he headed up to try and do his homework alone.
~*~
On Sunday evening, Castiel kept watching Sam. Dean was a little confused, used to being the centre of Castiel's attention, but he wasn't about to complain that Cas seemed to be ignoring him. It was probably just one of those Cas-things, and instead Dean took the opportunity to quickly finish his own neglected homework, hiding in the bedroom so that he wouldn't be distracted.
Until, that is, he heard Cas speaking in a sharp tone.
“Sam, you need to go to bed. You are becoming sick. Go to sleep.”
“I don't wanna...”
“That does not matter. You are ill. You need rest. I will gladly bring you some juice, and food if you are hungry, but you require sleep more than television.”
“But Caaaaas...”
Yup, that was it. Sam's 'I'm feeling sick enough to be stroppy but well enough to not want to be coddled' voice. Dean was an expert in Sam's various excuses, and quickly rose to try and diffuse the situation before Sam could throw a tantrum.
“No buts,” Cas spoke firmly. “Sleep. Do you want me to read you a story?”
There was silence for a moment, then - to Dean's amazement - Sam seemed to give in.
“Could you read the next chapter of this to me? And get Dean to make me some Lucky Charms?”
“Of course,” Cas responded. The next moment, Cas walked into their bedroom carrying Sam and put him down in his bed. Dean took a careful look, and agreed that Sam was flushed and his eyes were a little too bright. The fact that he snuggled down into his blankets was also quite telling - the boy usually didn't like going to bed too early, and it was barely past sun-down.
“You feeling okay baby boy?” Dean asked, quickly going over to brush Sam's hair out of his face. The simple gesture also allowed him to get a feel for the boy's temperature. It wasn't too high, so he figured it was most likely a cold or some similar bug, nothing too bad.
That wasn't going to stop him from pampering his little brother, though.
“Cas says I'm sick,” Sam pouted up at him. Dean's heart broke - though he'd never admit it - and he leaned down to brush a kiss over Sam's forehead.
“Yeah, it sucks. I'll get you those Lucky Charms, okay? You get some rest.”
“Okay Dean. Cas is gonna read to me.”
“That sounds good,” Dean smiled. “I might listen in too. We can all have an early night.”
“Lucky Charms first?”
“Yeah, Lucky Charms first.”
Dean shared a smile with Cas as they passed each other. Trust Cas to watch out for Sam. Sometimes, it really did feel like Sam was their son. It was odd how that didn't freak Dean out at all, and just made him want to hold Cas tighter, never let him go.
It was then that he realised, he hadn't actually told Cas how much he wanted them to stay together. As he poured Sam's cereal for him, Dean swore that he would talk to Cas and convince him to leave with them when the time came. From the way that he'd slotted into their life so easily, Dean didn't think Cas would have too many objections.
~*~
Castiel lay curled around Dean, head on the older boy's chest, smiling to himself as Dean ran deft fingers through his hair. It was very soothing, as was the sound of Sam's peaceful breathing coming from the next bed. There was some tension in the broad chest beneath his cheek though, so Castiel didn't let himself fall asleep.
“Hey, Cas?” Dean's soft voice rumbled in his chest. “I was thinking...”
“Should I be concerned about that?” Castiel asked. He received a swat to the backside for his effort, and smiled again.
“Cheeky. Tryin' to be serious here.”
“My apologies. Continue.”
“Well, I was thinking... when Sam and I leave, I want you to come with us.”
There it was, what Castiel had been longing for. He shifted his head to look up into Dean's eyes, seeing the sincerity there. They held each other's gaze for several long moments, before Castiel leaned in and slowly brushed his lips against Dean's.
“I would like that very much,” he whispered between soft kisses. He felt Dean's hands caressing his sides, and sighed in contentment.
This was how it was meant to be. They were a family, the three of them, and they had a future together. Life was perfect.
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Part Five
~*~
Castiel slipped out of Dean's bed and quietly made his way to the kitchen. They'd been together for a month, and Castiel still spent most of his time with the Winchesters. He just felt so much better with them, so much more alive and cared for. He stretched his wings out, glad that he could. Lucifer didn't like it when Castiel showed his wings at home, whereas Dean loved being able to see and feel the soft feathers.
Looking around the kitchen, Castiel found the things he'd need and started making lunches for everyone. He was a naturally early riser, whereas Dean preferred to sleep in, and it made him feel good to be able to contribute something to the boys who gave so much to him.
“Morning Cas,” Sam said sleepily as he came in as well, looking for breakfast.
“Good morning,” Castiel nodded back. “What would you like for lunch today?”
“Peanut butter and jelly?” Sam looked up, and Castiel reached for the jars. “Thanks Cas!”
“You're welcome.” The pair continued in silence, Sam getting breakfast while Castiel finished making and packing lunches.
“Your feathers are kinda messy,” Sam spoke then. Castiel glanced behind himself to check, and saw that several feathers were indeed out of place. “How do you fix them?”
“It can be difficult,” Castiel admitted. “It is a matter of physically realigning them.”
“Can I help?”
“Certainly.” Castiel looked around, then nodded. “It would be best if you sat on the table.”
“Okay,” Sam climbed up. Castiel moved towards him and sat backwards on a chair, facing away from the boy. His wings spread up and out, and Sam was able to reach all of the misaligned feathers.
“This is so cool,” Sam whispered. Castiel smiled over his shoulder indulgently.
“I am glad you think so. I am happy to be here with you and Dean. You are both very good to me.”
“Good to hear,” a deep voice came from the doorway, and both glanced over at where Dean was leaning on the door jamb. “Wouldn't wanna be accused of mistreating my boy.”
“I thought I was your boy?” Sam sounded rather petulant. Dean quickly threw him his 'I'm an awesome big brother' smile.
“You're my baby boy,” Dean reassured his little brother. “Always will be. Cas is my boy.” Castiel wasn't entirely sure of the difference, but Sam seemed placated.
“You treat me very well,” Castiel smiled shyly. He heard a slight growl from Dean, and knew that he was getting turned on. Something that was confirmed when Dean crossed the room in two strides and bent down to kiss him. Both ignored Sam's protests of kissing being 'gross'.
“You're awesome,” Dean pulled back, looking Castiel in the eye. Cas felt himself blush, still unused to receiving compliments, but leaned up to brush his lips against Dean's anyway.
He never wanted to leave this family.
~*~
Castiel kept his gaze lowered as he headed towards home. He knew that Dean was spending the afternoon doing yard work for one of the elderly women who seemed to adore him, and Sam was on a school camping trip, so he had to go back to his father. To be honest, Cas wasn't even sure if his family noticed that he was spending so much time away from the house.
“Leave me alone!”
Pausing, Castiel looked up. He recognised his sister's voice, and she sounded almost scared. When his gaze landed on Ruby, he saw that she was facing off against three of the boys in Castiel's class who liked to pick on him.
“C'mon,” one of them - Daryl - spoke as he leered at Ruby. “Your brother's a complete slut, show us how much you'd like it too.”
“I'm sure it runs in the family,” Jeff said.
Castiel was used to the things people said about him, but he'd never considered that someone might taunt Ruby about it too. While the pair had never exactly gotten along, he wasn't about to let his little sister get bullied.
“Back off,” Castiel growled as he quickly walked over. “You have a problem with me, fine. Leave her out of it.”
“Make them stop,” Ruby pleaded softly as she backed up past Castiel, hiding behind him almost.
“Stupid fag,” Daryl sneered. Castiel just rolled his eyes.
“You've called me that every day for the last two years,” he pointed out. “It's rather lost its potency by now. Can't you think up a better insult? After all, you're not using your brains for anything else.”
“How dare you?” Daryl glared.
“My sister is not fair game,” Castiel spoke firmly over him, fed up with the bullshit. “If you want to fight me just say so, but if you touch Ruby I will make you regret it.”
After a few tense seconds, the boys turned and walked away, grumbling between them. Castiel let out a brief sigh of relief, then turned to Ruby.
“It would be best if you avoided them when possible,” he commented to her. “Teenage boys tend to have more testosterone than brains, and they may hurt you.”
Ruby was staring up at him. Tilting his head a little, Castiel stared back. He wasn't sure what Ruby was thinking, never had been, but he was good at waiting people out.
“You stuck up for me,” Ruby said after a while, sounding confused.
“Yes. You are my sister.”
“But I'm mean to you.”
“I am aware of that.”
“So why were you nice?”
“Because you are my sister,” Castiel frowned. “You have been taught to hate me by our father and uncles, but you are still young. You can improve.”
“Oh.”
Castiel indicated with his head, and the siblings started walking back home, this time together. When they were almost there, Ruby spoke up again.
“I don't hate you,” she slipped her hand into Castiel's. “I just... never thought about it.”
“I know,” Cas nodded.
“I'm not sure if I can change.”
“You can try,” Castiel shrugged. “Or not. You are still my little sister. I will always forgive you.”
They arrived home, and they both headed to their rooms - Ruby on the first floor, her spacious room overlooking the garden, while Castiel was up in the attic. He didn't notice the thoughtful look on Ruby's face as he headed up to try and do his homework alone.
~*~
On Sunday evening, Castiel kept watching Sam. Dean was a little confused, used to being the centre of Castiel's attention, but he wasn't about to complain that Cas seemed to be ignoring him. It was probably just one of those Cas-things, and instead Dean took the opportunity to quickly finish his own neglected homework, hiding in the bedroom so that he wouldn't be distracted.
Until, that is, he heard Cas speaking in a sharp tone.
“Sam, you need to go to bed. You are becoming sick. Go to sleep.”
“I don't wanna...”
“That does not matter. You are ill. You need rest. I will gladly bring you some juice, and food if you are hungry, but you require sleep more than television.”
“But Caaaaas...”
Yup, that was it. Sam's 'I'm feeling sick enough to be stroppy but well enough to not want to be coddled' voice. Dean was an expert in Sam's various excuses, and quickly rose to try and diffuse the situation before Sam could throw a tantrum.
“No buts,” Cas spoke firmly. “Sleep. Do you want me to read you a story?”
There was silence for a moment, then - to Dean's amazement - Sam seemed to give in.
“Could you read the next chapter of this to me? And get Dean to make me some Lucky Charms?”
“Of course,” Cas responded. The next moment, Cas walked into their bedroom carrying Sam and put him down in his bed. Dean took a careful look, and agreed that Sam was flushed and his eyes were a little too bright. The fact that he snuggled down into his blankets was also quite telling - the boy usually didn't like going to bed too early, and it was barely past sun-down.
“You feeling okay baby boy?” Dean asked, quickly going over to brush Sam's hair out of his face. The simple gesture also allowed him to get a feel for the boy's temperature. It wasn't too high, so he figured it was most likely a cold or some similar bug, nothing too bad.
That wasn't going to stop him from pampering his little brother, though.
“Cas says I'm sick,” Sam pouted up at him. Dean's heart broke - though he'd never admit it - and he leaned down to brush a kiss over Sam's forehead.
“Yeah, it sucks. I'll get you those Lucky Charms, okay? You get some rest.”
“Okay Dean. Cas is gonna read to me.”
“That sounds good,” Dean smiled. “I might listen in too. We can all have an early night.”
“Lucky Charms first?”
“Yeah, Lucky Charms first.”
Dean shared a smile with Cas as they passed each other. Trust Cas to watch out for Sam. Sometimes, it really did feel like Sam was their son. It was odd how that didn't freak Dean out at all, and just made him want to hold Cas tighter, never let him go.
It was then that he realised, he hadn't actually told Cas how much he wanted them to stay together. As he poured Sam's cereal for him, Dean swore that he would talk to Cas and convince him to leave with them when the time came. From the way that he'd slotted into their life so easily, Dean didn't think Cas would have too many objections.
~*~
Castiel lay curled around Dean, head on the older boy's chest, smiling to himself as Dean ran deft fingers through his hair. It was very soothing, as was the sound of Sam's peaceful breathing coming from the next bed. There was some tension in the broad chest beneath his cheek though, so Castiel didn't let himself fall asleep.
“Hey, Cas?” Dean's soft voice rumbled in his chest. “I was thinking...”
“Should I be concerned about that?” Castiel asked. He received a swat to the backside for his effort, and smiled again.
“Cheeky. Tryin' to be serious here.”
“My apologies. Continue.”
“Well, I was thinking... when Sam and I leave, I want you to come with us.”
There it was, what Castiel had been longing for. He shifted his head to look up into Dean's eyes, seeing the sincerity there. They held each other's gaze for several long moments, before Castiel leaned in and slowly brushed his lips against Dean's.
“I would like that very much,” he whispered between soft kisses. He felt Dean's hands caressing his sides, and sighed in contentment.
This was how it was meant to be. They were a family, the three of them, and they had a future together. Life was perfect.
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